Harper announces Independent Director of Public Prosecutions

30 November 2005

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Address by the Hon. Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada

OTTAWA: Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Check Against Delivery

Good morning. I’m pleased to be here with our Conservative candidates from Quebec City and surrounding area.

This election is about the future. On January 23, the question is not whether voters have reason to replace this government, we know the answer to that. The question is who will move forward and provide accountable government for all Canadians? The question is who offers change? Change from stolen money, broken promises and failure to deliver. Strong language. but the Liberal Party’s complicity can no longer be dismissed as media speculation or partisan slur, it is a finding of fact in a judicial inquiry.

Judge Gomery concluded that the Liberal party “as an institution cannot escape responsibility for the misconduct of its officers and representatives”, yet the Liberals still paint themselves as victims. Their protestations remind us of Richard Pryor’s routine about the man caught in a compromising position: “who are you going to believe – me or your lying eyes?”

To be fair, the Liberal party recently repaid some money. To determine how much, the Liberal party and the Liberal government sat down and agreed on the amount. A plea bargain with itself - those must have been tough negotiations.

The Liberals cut a deal with themselves, just as they cut a deal letting Paul Coffin repay only one million of the 1.6 million dollars he stole. But that is history. Justice Gomery was looking into the past, we are looking to the future. We want to move forward to an era where it will never happen again.

This election is the opportunity to turn the page to a bright, new chapter in our history – to turn the page from entitlement and benefits for a few, to accountable government for all. Conservatives believe as a basic principle that politicians should not be accountable to politicians, and government should not be accountable to itself.

A few weeks ago I released our Federal Accountability Act as the first step to bringing accountability back to Ottawa. This morning I am announcing an additional element of our accountability reforms. A new Conservative government will ensure that decisions about criminal prosecution are independent of politicians and independent of politics. We will create an arm’s-length, independent Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. This Director will take over responsibility for all federal criminal prosecutions.

No longer will politicians ultimately be responsible for deciding who to charge and when. An impartial prosecutor, appointed with input from all parties in Parliament, will make final, binding decisions about prosecutions. This arrangement is well-established in the United Kingdom and Australia, and has been adopted in Nova Scotia and also in British Columbia. Creating a Director of Public Prosecutions will ensure that criminal wrong-doing is investigated and pursued vigorously, while protecting long-established due process rights.

Among other things, the Director of Public Prosecutions will decide on criminal prosecutions involving present or former government officials. No longer will the Attorney General face the conflict of deciding matters involving his own cabinet colleagues or his own party. This Independent Director of Public Prosecutions will decide on prosecutions arising from the sponsorship scandal. The person chosen to take on this challenge will be free to do the job without political interference or considerations, while the rest of the government gets on with the job of governing.

The lives of ordinary Canadians have changed much over the past 12 years. People face new realities and new challenges. But little has changed in the lives of powerful and privileged government insiders.

Under a new Conservative government, it will.

There will be a new code on Parliament Hill – bend the rules, you will be punished. Break the law, you will be charged. Abuse the public trust, you will go to prison. If you behave unethically or dishonestly, then don’t expect a reward from the Prime Minister of Canada.

You have seen the past. I invite you to join me in looking to the future. A bold future where people are held responsible for their actions. A bright future where the winds of change bring political accountability to Ottawa.

On January 23rd, stand up for clean government, stand up for accountability, stand up for Canada.